Member buys Greece's Ridgemont Country Club

Club member Jim Cucinelli has purchased the Ridgemont Country Club in Greece, allowing it to forego its non-profit status in order to generate additional income, officials said.

The purchase price was not disclosed.

Ridgemont, like most private country clubs, has had a decline in membership in recent years, representatives said. Board members decided to change the business model to increase the membership.

“Ridgemont’s board of directors recognized that action had to be taken and determined it was best to sell,” club manager Joe Giordano said in a statement. “This is truly a labor of love. Jim Cucinelli cares about the future of Ridgemont and wants to see it thrive with a strong membership base.”

Cucinelli’s offer was one of two options presented to the board. The other was to lease the club to Arnold Palmer Golf Management, representatives said.

Cucinelli is president of Gates-based Light Fabrications Inc., a division of EIS Inc. in Atlanta, Ga.

Cucinelli plans to keep various golfing memberships in place, and offer incentives to gain new members, representatives said. The country club’s staff will be retained.

Ridgemont was founded in 1928 by a group of real estate developers. The par-72, 18-hole course totals 6,439 yards from its longest tees.